F/O Richard E V Pugh DFM RAFVR and crew – 103 Squadron – RAF Elsham Wolds – 1941/42/43
Failed to Return – 26/27th November 1943 – Avro Lancaster III – JB527 – Op Berlin.
Richard Pugh with his wife on the left and an older lady relative on the right
Richard Pugh ( pictured above ) was one of three distinguished and popular 103 Squadron pilots who completed very hard tours with 103 Squadron, were decorated and then returned and lost at the start of their second tours with the Squadron. The others were Ken Berry DFM and Ken Bickers DFC
He was posted to 103 Squadron at RAF Elsham Wolds August 1941 and flew 5 operations as co-pilot as follows :-
Sgt Kozlowski 3rd September 1941 Brest - 7th September 1941 Kiel - 20th September 1941 Frankfurt
Sgt Giles 30th September 1941 Hamburg - 12th October 1941 Bremen.
He was then promoted to captain his own crew and flew the following operations to complete his tour :-
09-Nov-41 – Ostend – Wellington – R1667 – Sgt REV Pugh - Bombed Dunkirk
16-Dec-41 – Wilhelmshaven – Wellington – Z1140 – Sgt REV Pugh
28-Dec-41 – Wilhelmshaven – Wellington – Z1140 – Sgt REV Pugh
06-Jan-42 – Brest – Wellington – Z1140 – Sgt REV Pugh
21-Jan-42 – Bremen – Wellington – Z1140 – Sgt REV Pugh - Unable to locate primary due to Search light glare and ground haze. Bombed Elsflethersand.
25-Jan-42 – Brest – Wellington – Z1140 – Sgt REV Pugh - Hit by flak in wings. Fuel shortage. Landed Exeter.
28-Jan-42 – Munster – Wellington – Z1171 – Sgt REV Pugh - Bombed airfield near Haarlem
06-Feb-42 – Brest – Wellington – R1393 – Sgt REV Pugh - Unable to locate primary. Wireless transmitter unserviceable. Landed Exeter
11-Feb-42 – Brest – Wellington – X9666 – Sgt REV Pugh - Caught in search lights on run up to target. Unable to locate target. Bombed defences 2 miles south west.
12-Feb-42 - Operation Fuller Wellington – X9666 – Sgt REV Pugh - Unable to locate target due to low cloud. Returned to base with bombs
21-Feb-42 - Mannheim and others – Wellington – R1347 – Sgt REV Pugh - Engaged by heavy flak over Holland and Ruhr. Unable to locate target. Bombed targets of opportunity. Landed at Manston owing to fuel shortage.
13-Mar-42 – Cologne – Wellington – R1061 – Sgt REV Pugh
25-Mar-42 – Essen – Wellington – DV452 – Sgt REV Pugh - Combat. Attacked by twin engined night fighter. Hydraulics shot away. Enemy aircraft broke off after receiving burst of 80 rounds from rear gunner from 20 yards
28-Mar-42 – Lubeck – Wellington – Z1140 – Sgt REV Pugh
02-Apr-42 – Poissy – Wellington – Z1140 – Sgt REV Pugh - Hit by flak and severely damaged. Rear turret rendered unserviceable.
05-Apr-42 – Cologne – Wellington – T2921 – Sgt REV Pugh - Caught in search lights over target. Evasive action. Lost height to 3,000ft. Aircraft damaged by both heavy and light flak and landed at Middle Wallop
15-Apr-42 – Dortmund – Wellington – DV697 – Sgt REV Pugh
18-Apr-42 – Hamburg – Wellington – Z8843 – Sgt REV Pugh
24-Apr-42 – Rostock – Wellington – L7819 – Sgt REV Pugh
26-Apr-42 – Rostock – Wellington – L7819 – Sgt REV Pugh
28-Apr-42 – Kiel – Wellington – Z8843 – Sgt REV Pugh
29-Apr-42 - Paris/ Gennevilliers – Wellington – X9816 – Sgt REV Pugh
04-May-42 - St Nazaire – Wellington – X9816 – Sgt REV Pugh
05-May-42 – Stuttgart – Wellington – DV578 – Sgt REV Pugh
08-May-42 – Warnemunde – Wellington – Z1141 – Sgt REV Pugh - Dropped bombs singly on various flak and searchlight batteries and machine gunned same from low level
19-May-42 – Groix/Lorient – Wellington – Z1163 – Sgt REV Pugh - Released mines from 800 ft
01-Jun-42 – Essen – Wellington – Z1140 – Sgt REV Pugh – ER - Faulty stub exhaust.
He was then posted to an Operational Training Unit as an instructor and returned in November 1943 with his new crew, this time flying Lancasters.
Sadly he was lost first time out
26-Nov-43 – Berlin – Lancaster – JB527 – F/O REV Pugh - FTR - Crashed at Ahrensfelde, Germany.
The aircraft was coned by searchlights and hit by heavy Flak of the 4/Schwere Flak-Abteilung 123.
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Donald Thom
George Prescott
F/O Richard Elwyn Vaughan Pugh DFM RAFVR – Pilot – 29 – 103 Sqn - Son of Hugh David and Gwladys Cordelia Pugh; husband of Gwyneth Myfanwy Pugh of Abergele, Denbighshire - Berlin 1939-1945 War Cemetery, Germany
Sgt Peter Adin Barnes RAFVR – Flight Engineer - 19 – 103 Sqn - Son of Samuel and Emily Catherine Barnes of Ipswich, Suffolk - Berlin 1939-1945 War Cemetery, Germany
F/O Donald Seymour Thom RAAF ( pictured above ) - 23 – 103 Sqn - Son of Harry and Sarah Mabel Thom of Camberwell, Victoria, Australia. BSc - Berlin 1939-1945 War Cemetery, Germany
Sgt George William Prescott RAFVR ( pictured above ) – Air Bomber - 103 Sqn - Berlin 1939-1945 War Cemetery, Germany
F/O Michael Henham King RAFVR – Air Gunner - 25 – 103 Sqn - Son of Marion Holte King of Penarth, Glamorgan - Berlin 1939-1945 War Cemetery, Germany
Sgt Alexander Mavromatis RAFVR – Wireless Operator / Air Gunner - 23 – 103 Sqn - Son of John and Mabel Ethel Mavromatis of Southall, Middlesex - Berlin 1939-1945 War Cemetery, Germany
F/O Geoffrey Booth RAF – Air Gunner - 25 – 103 Sqn - Son of Harold and Beatrice Booth, of Mickleover, Derbyshire; husband of Doreen Isabel Booth - Berlin 1939-1945 War Cemetery, Germany
See Citation for Pugh's DFM at the foot of the page.
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26-Nov-43 – Berlin
103 Squadron detailed 30 aircraft for this attack on the Nazi capital of Berlin. This number was thought to be a Bomber Command record for a Squadron at that time. Bombing heights were between 21000 ft and 23000 ft although one aircraft bombed from 16000 ft. F/S Law, P/O Young and W/O Graham returned early. Heavy flak was very intense in barrage form and a great deal of light flak was bursting at 15000 ft. Searchlight cones were numerous. There were two combats reported. F/S Richter was attacked by a Bf110 from the port quarter closing to 150 yards. His rear gunner opened with a long burst which caused smoke to come from the port engine. It was claimed as a probable. S/L Scragg was attacked by 2 Bf110s 600 yards astern and his gunners found their guns frozen. Evasive action was taken and the aircraft lost. In addition F/S Griffin sighted a Bf110 at 400 yards but nothing resulted. F/O Pugh, F/O Sumner and Sgt Siddall and their crews failed to return. F/O Brevitt crashed into a Halifax whilst landing. All except the mid upper gunner were killed. Bad visibility prevented our aircraft returning to base and apart from the early returns all landed at No 6 Group airfields in East and North Yorkshire.
For this attack on Berlin Bomber Command detailed a total of 443 Lancasters and 7 Mosquitos to Berlin and with another combined diversion attack to Stuttgart. Both forces flew a common route over Northern France and on nearly to Frankfurt before diverging. The German controllers thought that Frankfurt was the main target until a late stage and several bombers were shot down as they flew past Frankfurt. Only a few fighters appeared over Berlin, where flak was the main danger, but the scattered condition of the bomber stream at Berlin meant that bombers were caught by fighters off track on the return flight and the casualties mounted. 28 Lancasters were lost, 6.2 per cent of the force, and 14 more Lancasters crashed in England. The weather was clear over Berlin but, after their long approach flight from the south, the Pathfinders marked an area 6-7 miles north-west of the city centre and most aircraft bombed there. Because of Berlin's size, however, most of the bombing still fell within the city boundaries and particularly on the semi-industrial suburb of Reinickendorf; smaller amounts of bombing fell in the centre and in the Siemensstadt (with many electrical factories) and Tegel districts. The Berlin Zoo was heavily bombed on this night. Many of the animals had been evacuated to zoos in other parts of Germany but the bombing killed most of the remainder. Several large and dangerous animals - leopards, panthers, jaguars, apes - escaped and had to be hunted and shot in the streets.
The diversionary raid on Stuttgart was carried out by 157 Halifaxes and 21 Lancasters. 6 Halifaxes lost, 3.4 per cent of the force. The bombing was very scattered and caused little damage but part of the night-fighter force was drawn off from the Berlin operation.
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Lancaster – JB527
This machine was lost on its 6th operation.
03-Nov-43 – Dusseldorf – Lancaster – JB527 – F/S NJ Usher
10-Nov-43 – Modane – Lancaster – JB527 – F/S HS Rathbone
18-Nov-43 – Berlin – Lancaster – JB527 – F/S HS Rathbone
22-Nov-43 – Berlin – Lancaster – JB527 – F/S HS Rathbone
23-Nov-43 – Berlin – Lancaster – JB527 – F/S HS Rathbone – Early return - Aircraft became dangerously difficult to handle.
26-Nov-43 – Berlin – Lancaster – JB527 – F/O REV Pugh - FTR - Crashed at Ahrensfelde, Germany.
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Richard Pugh – DFM citation.
Award recommendation by Squadron CO.
'This N.C.O. has displayed superb qualities as a Captain having taken part in 32 sorties, of which 25 were as Captain. He has carried out these attacks with consistent skill and courage. Throughout he has set a high standard of Captaincy. His coolness and determination, frequently in the face of strong enemy opposition, have been an inspiration to all. One night, returning from a raid on the Ruhr, his aircraft was attacked by a night fighter. His hydraulics were shot through and the undercarriage came down and the bomb doors fell open. Despite this, he handled his aircraft skilfully, giving his rear gunner a chance to fire a burst at the fighter. After two attacks the fighter broke away. Sgt. Pugh then brought his aircraft back to base and made a very good "wheels up" landing. His enthusiasm, skill and fearlessness in the face of danger and his dogged determination have caused him to be selected for a number of difficult and more dangerous tasks and has carried these out magnificently. His devotion to duty and his fine fighting spirit fully deserve personal recognition and I strongly recommend him fo the award of the Distinguished Flying Medal.'
Remarks by Station Commander:
'This N.C.O., during his 200 hours operational flying with 103 Squadron, has shown that he has outstanding qualities of guts, determination and a complete disregard for his own personal safety. He allows nothing to deter him from hitting his target. As a result, he has always been the first selection to undertake any new or particularly dangerous operations. His offensive spirit and skilful captaincy have been an inspiration to the squadron. I have watched this N.C.O.'s progress and have no hesitation in recommending him for the award of the Distinguished Flying Medal.'
Item compiled by David Fell. Pugh photo from my archive. Thom and Prescott photos from the respective families
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